Commonwealth Games: Men’s long jump

A look back at the history of the men’s long jump at the Commonwealth Games

The first Commonwealth long jump winner in Hamilton in 1930 was Canadian Len Hutton, the only one over seven metres in the competition. Canada retained the title in 1934 in London through 16-year-old Sam Richardson.

The nation made it three in a row in 1938 in Sydney as Hal Brown made a dramatic improvement to win from team-mate Jim Panton. Brown’s twin brother Wally was also in the final and finished tenth.

In Auckland in 1950, Canada didn’t even have a competitor and another event well short of world-class was won by the South African Neville Price, who was followed by three New Zealanders.

England had had a modest record up until then with just one medal, but finally came good in Vancouver in 1954. Ken Wilmshurst, who had won the triple jump two days earlier, won in a Games record 7.54m, with Nigeria taking the minor medals.

Wilmshurst was only 11th in 1958 in Cardiff as Jamaica had their first success with both Paul Foreman and Deryck Taylor jumping 7.47m and Muhammad Ramzan Ali picking up bronze for Pakistan.

The 1962 event was held in Perth where surprise package Ghana’s Mike Ahey’s windy 8.05m was the first jump at the Games even approaching world-class. Wales’ Lynn Davies jumped a British record of 7.72m for the best legal jump of the competition but had to settle for fourth, just two centimetres down on second.

In 1966 in Kingston, Davies was back and as the only Olympic male champion competing he won another gold with a 7.99m leap. Former Briton John Morbey won silver for Bermuda.

Davies retained his title in Edinburgh in 1970 with a Games record of 8.06m and Alan Lerwill won bronze for England with 7.94m, both jumps being wind-assisted.

In 1974 in Christchurch, Lerwill narrowly won gold by just two centimetres from Australian Chris Commons. Ghana’s Joshua Owusu finished third and then went on to win the triple jump.

England retained the title in 1978 through Jamaican-born Roy Mitchell’s windy 8.06m. Commons was again two centimetres from gold in collecting his second silver.

In Brisbane in 1982, Gary Honey won by a massive 34 centimetres. He retained his title easily in Edinburgh in 1986 and this time with a 8.08m jump, 25 centimetres ahead of England’s Fred Salle.

In Auckland in 1990 all jumps were wind-assisted and the performances were excellent with Nigerian Yusuf Ali winning with a huge 8.39m and Australian David Culbert the runner-up with 8.20m.

Nigeria won again in 1994 in Victoria. The American student Obinna Eregbu, who had jumped 8.22m in qualifying, won with an 8.05m leap with Culbert again second.

Australia did even better in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur as they scored a one-two with both Peter Burge and Jai Taurima jumping respectable 8.22m leaps.

England were back on top in Manchester in 2002 when Nathan Morgan (pictured) won with the only eight metre jump. Darren Ritchie achieved Scotland’s best ever result with fourth, just one centimetre from a medal.

The 2006 event in Melbourne was a high standard event as Ghana’s Ignisious Gaisah won narrowly with 8.20m from Botswana’s Gable Garenamotse. Chris Tomlinson was sixth for the second Games running while Greg Rutherford was eighth.

Lapierre won in Delhi in 2010 with a top-class 8.30m and Rutherford, warming up for his Olympic gold, jumped 8.22m with Gaisah third this time in 8.12m.

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